Where is the resentment against robots – the ultimate job stealers? | Arlie Hochschild

We are invited to celebrate robots as a sign of progress, growth, greatness. That’s why they are never mentioned by fiery politicians seeking a scapegoat

All across America, one hears the story of the weary white, male worker waiting in line for the American dream. This worker sees the federal government giving special help to people he perceives as line cutters. Some who benefit from this help are citizens (black people, women, public sector workers), and others are not (immigrants, refugees, recipients of American foreign aid).

We can well understand the worn patience of the one waiting in line, because in truth, for most middle- and lower-income Americans, the line has indeed stalled or moved back. For the most part, though, the real line cutters are not people one can blame or politicians can thunder against. That’s because they’re not people. They’re robots.